Miyazaki doesn’t expect another hit like Elden Ring, and that’s why his formula works

There is no doubt that the souls-like genre has exploded since the days of King's Field, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne; Elden Ring is the epitome of the genre's success. With the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC hype, one has to expect anything FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki directs will be a blockbuster, but does he feel the same?

Will FromSoftware create another hit like Elden Ring?

In an interview with The Guardian, Miyazaki said, "No decision is based on any assumption that, hey, we did it once, it’s going to happen again. Allowing for this rather conservative forecast gives us room to fail – and that in turn results in better games and better decisions. In a roundabout way, I think that assumption of not making another hit, that conservative outlook, is fueling and aiding our game design."

Miyazaki and his team's humble approach to creating and designing video games may be the key to their success. Instead of setting out to make a blockbuster title, FromSoftware creates the game it wants to make. FromSoftware has fine-tuned the challenging souls-like gameplay while making tweaks so it feels different between titles, allowing the games to feel similar but distinct simultaneously.

What's next for Miyazaki and FromSoftware

FromSoftware has nailed the action RPG, but it isn't the only genre Miyazaki has an interest in. Miyazaki was involved as a director with the PlayStation VR exclusive Deracine (a narrative-driven game), and has worked on Armored Core IV: Fires of Rubicon (a shooter). Despite being primarily known for the Souls games and their related titles now, the possibilities are pretty open in terms of what Miyazaki could work on next.

What excites me the most is Miyazaki's interest in traditional JRPG games, as he brought up in an interview with Rolling Stone. While FromSoftware created a JRPG called Enchanted Arms, that was before Miyazaki's time, just as King's Field was. I truly hope we get a JRPG with Miyazaki's worldbuilding and aesthetics.

That said, FromSoftware has numerous options for where they could go next. Miyazaki is done with Elden Ring now, but that doesn't mean Elden Ring 2 is off the books. We could also see a sequel to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Dark Souls 4, or even the heavily requested Bloodborne remake. Regardless of FromSoftware's next steps, fans are likely to eat it up, despite Miyazaki's lack of hubris.

For more on Elden Ring, check out Everything you need to do before the Elden Ring DLC comes out, here on Pro Game Guides.